Suspected Abu Sayyaf escapee falls in Zamboanga City

Philippine security forces nabbed on Wednesday afternoon a suspected Abu Sayyaf bandit who bolted the provincial jail in Basilan province in December 2009, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said. In a statement signed by military information chief Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, the arrested bandit was identified as one Mohammad Gaddung, who was collared by security forces 2 p.m. Wednesday following a maritime interdiction operation in the waters of Coco Island and Great Sta. Cruz Island in Zamboanga City. Authorities said Gaddung escaped from the Basilan provincial in Isabela City on Dec. 13, 2009 along with 21 of his comrades and 10 other detainees. He carries a P500,000 reward. The suspected Abu Sayyaf members who bolted jail were led by sub-commander Dan Laksaw Asnawi. All are reportedly involved in the killing of 14 Marines in Basilan in July 2007. "The apprehension of Gaddung is a development in the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) of the AFP which intends to isolate terrorist groups so that military forces can be applied on them with precision and reduced collateral damage," said AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. The Abu Sayyaf Authorities have largely blamed the Abu Sayyaf for a number of bombing and kidnapping incidents not only in southern Philippines, but also in Metro Manila. Since early 2000, American troops have been going in and out of southern Philippines purportedly to train their Filipino counterparts in addressing the terrorist threat in the volatile region. The continued stay of the US troops, however, has elicited criticisms from leftist groups, who claimed that foreign troops going after local armed groups violates the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Both Philippine and US officials, however, maintained that American troops are not directly taking part in combat operations in the country. — RSJ, GMA News